FWRM calls for safer, more inclusive Fiji on Human Rights Day

On this Human Rights Day, we recommit to building a Fiji where every person feels safe in their home and community.

Fiji Women’s Rights Movement Executive Director, Nalini Singh highlighted this after the NGO Coalition March in recognition of World Human Rights Day at Sukuna Park.

Singh says we must create a safe space where every voice can be heard without fear, every child grows up knowing they are valued, and every leader upholds the principles of justice, accountability and respect.

She says human rights are not foreign ideas — they are part of who we are as people of this nation and this region.

The theme for this year is “Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials.”

Singh says it emphasises the enduring relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its core values: equality, justice, freedom, and dignity.

She adds that in Fiji, Human Rights Day is not only about global declarations — it is about how we treat one another every day, how we protect the vulnerable, and how we hold power to account.

The Executive Director says Pacific and Fijian traditions teach us about collective care, and these values strengthen our human rights journey.

Singh says there are challenges such as increasing violence, shrinking civic space, economic pressures, drug use, and the alarming HIV epidemic.

She adds that these challenges test our commitment to justice, equality, and compassion.

Singh urges everyone to move forward together with courage, compassion and a deep belief that Fiji can be a place where rights of all people are protected; not in words alone, but in actions, our systems and our everyday choices.